YES Armenia programme concludes results

21 February 2019

On 30 January the YES Armenia programme officially concluded results. Launched in December 2017, the programme offered 21 young professionals a unique opportunity and challenge to work in different ministries and government agencies to deliver tangible results. Almost half of the selected experts were from the Armenian Diaspora, who brought their skills and expertise.

For 12 months they developed and implemented 21 priority projects central to government reforms and EU priorities. The projects that the young experts developed and implemented in the past year included the revision of school governance models, the introduction of agricultural insurance, pilots of distance learning and e-resources for public schools, improvement of data collection around tourism, the enhancement of public private partnerships (PPP), and more. As part of the programme, young professionals participated in decision-making processes, gained first-hand experience of the inner workings of public institutions, and, made inputs to Armenia’s development. YES Armenia was funded by the European Union and implemented by the ‘Development and Strategic Studies’ project, in partnership with the Centre for Strategic Initiatives (CSI).

The Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski, thanked all partners for the implementation of such an important programme: “For the EU this was an experiment. We are very proud to have been associated to this initiative and to be able to engage Armenia’s young generation more closely inside Armenia’s public institutions. Young people are a source of optimism, energy, and fresh ideas; Armenia needs this type of people. YES Armenia proved that young professionals can have a lasting impact by eliminating old vestiges of bureaucratic and other systems of governance that impede the rapid development of Armenia. This programme also created another bridge with the Diaspora and realising its untapped intellectual potential for the betterment of the country. Armenia is now on the threshold of launching big reforms and we believe that these reforms will be successful – if and when the young generation feels part of it”.

Tigran Avinyan, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia, mentioned that the programme was one of the vivid examples of the effective and expanding cooperation between Armenia and the European Union, and thanked the EU for the continuous support: “YES Armenia brought new energy into the public administration system. On the one hand, young experts from Armenia and diaspora gained the opportunity to get an insider’s view on how government institutions work and get practical experience; on the other hand, they invested their skills, turned their innovative ideas into actions, and suggested solutions to existing problems. The institutional experience accumulated during the implementation of YES Armenia can play an important role in increasing the effectiveness of public and civil service activities”.

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